Scripture to Read: John 6:2–4
Since God uses us to share Him with this lost world, He also uses different tests and trials in our lives so that our faith in Him continues to grow and mature. Remember that God has told us this in James 1:2–4, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Jesus also tested His original disciples’ faith so they’d grow in their faith in Him. We read in John 6:4–6, Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Note how verse 6 ends, “He Himself knew what He was intending to do.” Our Lord always has His plan in mind as He walks us through tests and trials. So, any test or trial we face is never just a random circumstance, but our Lord knows what He plans to do with us and through us in that test or trial. Though we probably will not understand it as we walk through it, we can trust that our Lord is mightily working in and through us. We must be joyful and ask the Lord not to let us miss what He’s teaching us.
Challenge & Application
• What tests and trials have you faced that have grown your faith in Christ and His Word?
• How have you shared with others the handiwork of God through the tests and trials you have faced?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!